Dates of Special Steam and Diesel Heritage Trains arriving and departing Scarborough station in 2022
Photo above: The Statesman Rail train starts this year's programme of special trains and offers the rare chance of a special day out from Scarborough, Seamer and Malton. The train is pictured on the Settle & Carlisle Railway. Thanks to Statesman Rail the photograph.
Special charter trains to and from the Yorkshire Coast are starting to be promoted for 2022, over the coming months as more are announced they will be added to this webpage.
2022 is the 175th Anniversaries of the opening of the Hull to Scarborough railway line, completed in Autumn 1847.
The line opened in 2 stages Hull to Bridlington and Scarborough to Filey in 1846, but the hardest section over the Yorkshire Wolds not until 16th October 1847. (Filey to Bridlington via Hunmanby)
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 and 2021 the 175th Anniversaries of our local railway history did not take place
Scarborough's, first railway line from York via Malton, opened in 1845, (175th Anniversary was in 2020)
Filey's connection to the railway network in 1846, (175th Anniversary was in 2021)
and likewise, the line to what was then Burlington (now Bridlington), in 1846 (175th Anniversary was in 2021)
If you belong to a local group or society, why not put on an event to mark the 175th Anniversary of the local railway? Please send details through to
friendsofhunmanbyrailwaystation@btinternet.com
to add it to this webpage.
Tour information updated: 23rd April 2022
Saturday 12th February 2022 'Settle & Carlisle Circular' (Statesman Rail diesel train) from Scarborough, Seamer, Malton, York, Church Fenton, Garforth, Leeds, Shipley, Keighley & Skipton. Further details from the Statesman Rail website. Approximate departure time from Scarborough 08:40 return to Scarborough at 18:55
Thursday 5th May 2022 'Scarborough at Leisure' (Northern Belle diesel train) from Liverpool Lime Street, Newton-le-Willows and Manchester Victoria. 3-hour afternoon break in Scarborough, estimated 13:30 to 16:45.
Wednesday 11th May 2022 'Yorkshire Coast Express' (Saphos Train steam train) from Crewe, Hartford, Runcorn, Liverpool South Parkway, Liverpool Lime Street, Newton-le-Willows, & Manchester Victoria. Further details from the Saphos Trains Website. 3-hour afternoon break in Scarborough.
Wednesday 1st June 2022 'Yorkshire Coast Statesman' (Statesman Rail diesel train) from High Wycombe, Princes Risborough, Haddenham & Thame, Bicester North, Banbury, Leamington Spa, Warwick Parkway, Dorridge & Solihull. Further details from the Statesman Rail Website. 3-hour afternoon break in Scarborough.
Thursday 23rd June 2022 'Scarborough at Leisure' (Northern Belle) from Coventry, Birmingham International, & Derby. Further details from the Northern Belle Website. 3-hour break in Scarborough, estimated 13:30 to 16:45.
photograph above: The Midland Pullman train that will be coming to Scarborough on Saturday 25th June 2022
Saturday 25th June 2022 'Yorkshire Coast & Jorvik Pullman' (Midland Pullman Train) from Eastleigh, Winchester, Micheldever, Basingstoke, Reading, Maidenhead & Slough. Further details from the Midland Pullman website. Afternoon break in Scarborough.
Saturday 25th June 2022 'Scarborough Flyer' (Railway Touring Company Steam Train) from Manchester Victoria, Romiley, Sheffield & York. Approximate break in Scarborough 13:30 to 15:50
Wednesday 29th June 2022 'Yorkshire Coast Statesman' (Statesman Diesel Train) from Norwich, Wymondham, Thetford, Brandon, Ely, March, Peterborough, Stamford, Oakham, Melton Mobray, Loughborough, & East Midlands Parkway. Approximately 3-hour break in Scarborough. Further details from the Statesman Rail website.
Wednesday 6th July 2022 'Yorkshire Coast Statesman' (Statesman Rail diesel train) from Cardiff, Newport, Severn Tunnel Junction, Chepstow, Lydney, Gloucester, Cheltenham Spa, Worcester Parkway, Bromsgrove, Tamworth & Derby. Further details from the Statesman Rail Website. 3-hour afternoon break in Scarborough.
Thursday 7th July 2022 'The Scarborough Spa Express (West Coast Railways, Steam Hauled throughout) from Carnforth, Hellifield, Skipton, Keighley, Shipley, Woodlesford and York. Further details from the West Coast Railways Website 4 hour break in Scarborough
Saturday 16th July 2022 'Scarborough at Leisure' (Northern Belle train) from Dumfries & Carlisle. Further details from the Northern Belle Website. 3-hour afternoon break in Scarborough, estimated 13:30 to 16:45.
Thursday 4th August 2022 'The Scarborough Spa Express (West Coast Railways, Steam Hauled throughout) from Carnforth, Hellifield, Skipton, Keighley, Shipley, Woodlesford and York. Further details from the West Coast Railways Website 4 hour break in Scarborough
Saturday 13th August 2022 'The North Riding & North Yorkshire Moors Railway' UK Railtours, Diesel Hauled throughout) from London Kings Cross, Potters Bar, Stevenage and Peterborough.
Monday 29th August 2022 'Scarborough Spa Ramble' (Inter City diesel train, Class 20, Type 1) operated by Inter City from Crewe, Kidsgrove, Stoke-on-Trent, Uttoxeter, Derby, Chesterfield and York. Further details from the Inter City Website. 3-hour afternoon break in Scarborough.
Thursday 1st September 2022 'The Scarborough Spa Express (West Coast Railways, Steam Hauled throughout) from Carnforth, Hellifield, Skipton, Keighley, Shipley, Woodlesford and York. Further details from the West Coast Railways Website 4 hour break in Scarborough
National Heritage Week 8th September to 18th September 2022
Saturday 10th September 2022 'The Coast to Coast Express' (Railway Touring Company Steam Train) From Liverpool Lime Street, Manchester Victoria, Sheffield & York. Mid-afternoon break in Scarborough, estimated from 13:10 to 15:50
Saturday 17th September 2022 'The Coast to Coast 40' (Inter City diesel train, Class 40, Type 4) operated by Inter City from Holyhead, Bangor, Llandudno Junction, Chester, Warrington Bank Quay, Manchester Victoria & York. Further details from the Inter City Website mid-afternoon break in Scarborough.
New development in Scarborough opposite Platform 1 The Old Parcels Office
About the Old Parcels Office
The Old Parcels Office Artspace is a new arts venue for North Yorkshire. Housed in a grade II listed building located on Scarborough Station the space comprises Artist Studios, a Gallery, and Learning Space.
The aim is to support the cultural regeneration of Scarborough by making art more accessible; bringing high quality art to Scarborough and by giving artists a platform to share their practice, teach, perform, and show their work in the region.
The Old Parcels Office ArtSpace is managed by Scarborough Studios CIO, a charitable organisation founded in 2021 to oversee the running of the OPO ArtSpace and its programmes. This charitable organisation builds on the work of Scarborough Studios Ltd, a not-for-profit company, which has managed and fundraised the capital redevelopment of the Old Parcels Office, a grade II listed building on Scarborough railway station platform.
The building was constructed to the designs of the then North Eastern Railway Architect, William Bell in 1883 as an excursion station. The large rooms are all double height spaces with yellow glazed bricks to the lower levels and unglazed yellow bricks above. The roof incorporates glass and timber glazing; it is hipped but flat topped. The exterior is of yellow brick with sandstone dressings. In 1908 the building became a parcels office and following a short period as a store it became derelict until repaired in 2013.
Since 2013 Scarborough Studios Ltd has raised over £800k to restore this historic building; reinstating the stunning skylights, which flood our studios and spaces with natural light, installing heating, lighting and toilets, and sympathetically refurbishing the interior of the building to provide a Learning Space, Gallery, offices and facilities.
Scarborough Studios Ltd are grateful to Scarborough Borough Council, Network Rail, Arts Council England, Historic England, Railways Heritage Trust, Yorkshire Coast Community Led Local Development (CLLD) project and the many volunteers who have donated time, expertise, and money to realise this project.
Architects: Walker Cunnington
Construction: FA Stockill & Son
Further details from the Old Parcels Office Website
Further information about special trains coming to the Yorkshire Coast.
Photo above: steam locomotive Jubilee 'Galatea' at Scarborough Railway Station ready for departure on 15th August 2019. Passing is 'Barbara Castle' the name of a Northern Rail, Class 158 Diesel Multiple Unit with a service from Scarborough to Sheffield.
Barbara Castle was Minister of Transport who reprieved the Scarborough to Hull railway service from being closed in 1969. A Public Inquiry was held in York which local people attended and gave evidence. More about Barbara Castle who died in 2002 from BBC webpage How Barbara Castle broke the glass ceiling of politics
'Galatea' a steam locomotive that was expected to be used for spare parts to enable other steam locomotives to be restored and never work again. Further details from Preserved British Steam Locomotives Website 'Galatea' was withdrawn from service in 1964, only rebuilt and returned to the main line in 2013. (Almost half a Century Later!) Several of the parts used in the rebuild came from former steam locomotive 'Alberta' In tribute to this long-lost steam locomotive West Coast Railway repainted and renamed the locomotive 'Alberta' in 2020. In 2021 this jubilee locomotive carried the nameplates 'Sierra Leone' A tribute to the Sierra Leone Jubilee 45627, withdrawn in 1967 and scrapped at John Cashmore Ltd, Great Bridge, Tipton in February 1967.
Scarborough Railway Turntable
For help with this article, many thanks to the Forge Valley Railway.co.uk and the Branch Line Society
Steam engines need to be 'turned' so that they face the right way at a terminus station. While a steam engine can travel backwards, it is not how they are designed to be operated on a main line, just like a car on a motorway. In the days of steam, turning the locomotive was not a problem, every main line terminus had a turntable close by. The last steam trains ran on the old British Railway North Eastern Region in 1967, now well over 50 years ago. The former steam shed at Scarborough had closed on 20th May 1963, the turntable and facilities for a steam engine removed at the end of 1967.
Steam on British Railways finished in 1968, and with the very rare exception was then banned. At first British Railways did not want to have steam locomotives operating on the main line. The 1960's were about being modern, looking forward.
However, slowly this was relaxed, and regular routes were set up. York to Scarborough being one such route. York being the ideal location to add a steam engine to the long-distance train with the facilities at the National Railway Museum capable of maintaining this vintage traction. In less than 10 years since the demise of steam, the high-speed diesel train, was introduced, attracting passenger back to Inter City services being capable of travelling at speeds of up to 125mph, with 2 power cars.
The Yorkshire Spa Seaside town of Scarborough was an ideal destination, though it did not now have a turntable it could use the triangular track layout at Butlins Holiday Camp, built in 1947 and designed for steam trains. For a handful of years, in the 1970's, steam engines arrived hauling special trains to Scarborough could use this. While their passengers were enjoying their break in Scarborough the steam engine would 'turn round' on the triangular piece of track by Royal Oak, near Hunmanby. Then in 1977 Filey Holiday Camp Station shut. (6 years later Butlins Filey had also closed.)
The steam trains had proved popular and created a lot of good publicity for the Yorkshire Coast. The traditional seaside town were having a tough time, loosing holiday trade as people 'jetted of to the sun' and this nostalgia, was a big help to the local economy. Once the triangular section of track at Royal Oak had been removed, it looked like visiting steam trains to the coast would be a thing of the past.
In 1978 a series of trains ran during the Summer on a circular route to York via Leeds and Harrogate.
Today we are very fortunate that Scarborough Borough Council had the foresight and finance to help source and fund a new turntable. This was installed in 1981, it came from Gateshead in the North East, positioned above the old turntable pit where the former steam shed in Scarborough was located. It was extended by 4 metres so it would be large enough for any visiting preserved steam locomotive of that period. The new turntable was tested on 30th April 1981 in time for the extension of the Leeds/Harrogate York steam service during the summer to start and be named 'The Scarborough Spa Express.'
The Scarborough Spa Express is now a regular service to Scarborough operated by West Coast Railways further details from the Scarborough Spa Express Webpage
For many years now, Scarborough has been the second most popular destination for a long-distance steam excursions in England and Wales. Top of the list is Carlisle. Though this is only because it is located at the end of the world-famous Settle-Carlisle railway line.
Top Tip:
When a steam excursion comes to Scarborough, a great time to see the locomotive is the time before it is due to leave to take passenger home. The steam train will then be on Platform One alongside the world's longest railway bench. The engine driver and fireman are always happy to pose for a photograph as they will have their steam locomotive ready for the return to York.
In contrast, when the steam train arrives at Scarborough is not the best time as the platform will be busy with people getting off the train, and the train crew need to reverse the train into Falsgrave sidings so that the steam engine can be serviced, the tender filled with water and the coal prepared for the return journey
Updated 29.1.2022